Luo Shu goes to Mingke Fang to find Jin Miaocui, but Madam Yu forces her out. Jin Miaocui gets a porter who delivers food to the county yamen to pass a message to Constable Cai, asking him to save her. Constable Cai and Cai Baozi set out immediately, running into Luo Shu on the way. Before going to Taiyuan, Luo Shu had told Jin Miaocui that if anything happened, she should look for Constable Cai at the county yamen. Luo Shu is sure Jin Miaocui’s in danger. But since Luo Shu is no longer part of the yamen and was just kicked out by Madam Yu, she can’t step in openly. Constable Cai tells Luo Shu and Cai Baozi to wait at the county yamen for news, while he takes his men to Mingke Fang to rescue her.
When Constable Cai arrives at Mingke Fang with his team, he pretends that they need to bring Jin Miaocui back to the county yamen for questioning. Madam Yu insists on a written document with the county magistrate’s official seal; otherwise, she won’t let Jin Miaocui leave. Constable Cai has no choice but to return and ask Han Muzhi for the paperwork. Suspecting something is up, Madam Yu orders her people to keep a close eye on Jin Miaocui.
Luo Shu goes to Han Muzhi for help. Constable Cai arrives in a rush. After hearing the situation, Han Muzhi agrees to issue the document right away. Chen Meiqing advises him not to act rashly, and Luo Shu suggests sending someone to Mingke Fang first to gather information. Qi Menglin shows up just then. He proposes sending Lian Shu to Mingke Fang to check. With no better plan at the moment, Luo Shu agrees.Qi Menglin and Luo Shu bring Lian Shu to Mingke Fang. Qi Menglin repeatedly warns Lian Shu to be careful, then waits outside with Luo Shu. Lian Shu quickly learns that Jin Miaocui is living in a side courtyard. He spots a man covered in blood leaving her room. Then Madam Yu and her people arrive at Jin Miaocui’s place, going in and out in a hurry. Alarmed, Lian Shu rushes out to report to Qi Menglin and Luo Shu.
Qi Menglin and Luo Shu head straight to Jin Miaocui’s room. It’s empty. The workers are cleaning up bloodstains on the floor. Luo Shu asks Madam Yu where Jin Miaocui is. Madam Yu casually says Jin Miaocui contracted “ma shang feng” and died. Luo Shu doesn’t believe it. Madam Yu blames Luo Shu for Jin Miaocui’s death, claiming that if Luo Shu hadn’t incited her to leave Mingke Fang, she wouldn’t have secretly run off and gotten beaten to death.
Luo Shu guesses that Jin Miaocui’s body must have been dumped in a paupers’ graveyard. She runs there in one breath, with Qi Menglin close behind. Luo Shu soon finds Jin Miaocui’s bruised and battered body. Overcome by grief, she’s inconsolable. Qi Menglin doesn’t know how to comfort her and just stays by her. Luo Shu is so distressed she refuses food and water, and Qi Menglin urges her to eat so she’ll have strength to avenge Jin Miaocui.
Luo Shu and Jin Miaocui were both sold to Mingke Fang in childhood and depended on each other. Now they’re separated by life and death. Luo Shu collapses on Qi Menglin’s shoulder, wailing. Han Muzhi arrives with food for her but sees them from afar and leaves quietly. Coroner Xu examines Jin Miaocui’s body and finds she was assaulted before death and then strangled. Luo Shu wants to investigate her killer, so Qi Menglin advises her to rest, saying he’ll do the searching.
Luo Shu goes to Han Muzhi, begging him to help investigate Jin Miaocui’s death, and he readily agrees. Qi Menglin soon learns that the last client Jin Miaocui saw was a boatman named Guo Xing. Constable Cai takes Luo Shu and Qi Menglin to Guo Xing’s home, where they find him burning paper offerings to Jin Miaocui. Constable Cai pounces and subdues Guo Xing, while Qi Menglin beats him. Terrified, Guo Xing repeatedly claims he’s innocent and says he didn’t kill Jin Miaocui.
Guo Xing explains that when he arrived at Jin Miaocui’s room, he found her already beaten to the brink of death; she spewed blood all over him. Panicked, he ran. Luo Shu sees he’s not lying and suspects Madam Yu’s men must have killed Jin Miaocui. Luo Shu, Qi Menglin, and Constable Cai head to Mingke Fang again, and Constable Cai throws Madam Yu in jail.
Based on the strangulation marks on Jin Miaocui’s neck, Coroner Xu rules out Madam Yu as the direct killer. Madam Yu yells non-stop in her cell, threatening to go to the prefect. Qi Menglin harshly scolds her. When no one is looking, Xiaomian’ao jumps out a window at Mingke Fang and escapes, rushing to file a complaint at the county yamen. She’s stabbed at the entrance. Coroner Xu bandages her wound while Luo Shu stays at her side, refusing to leave.
When Xiaomian’ao finally comes to, she explains exactly how Jin Miaocui was killed. Jin Miaocui wrote a letter asking for help and entrusted Xiaomian’ao to take it to the county yamen, but Madam Yu discovered it. On Madam Yu’s orders, Jin Miaocui was severely beaten and locked in the side courtyard, then a man was sent to kill her. Xiaomian’ao says she’s the only one who knows this. If Madam Yu finds out she survived, she’s doomed.
Luo Shu goes to the jail to see Madam Yu, lying that Xiaomian’ao is already dead and that she herself no longer intends to pursue Jin Miaocui’s death. She even arranges Madam Yu’s release. Luo Shu personally escorts her back to Mingke Fang, handing Madam Yu a slip of paper before leaving. Shopkeeper Li, the real boss of Mingke Fang, has been waiting for Madam Yu. Although Madam Yu repeatedly swears she said nothing, he doesn’t believe her.
Late that night, Que Si’er secretly goes to Madam Yu’s room and tries to strangle her. Luckily, Constable Cai, Luo Shu, and Qi Menglin arrive just in time to save her. Under duress, Madam Yu finally reveals the truth: Shopkeeper Li was also the one who had Fifth Concubine killed.
